Meningitis outbreak: Senate committee considers bill Thursday

May 8, 2013

Written by

The Tennessean

A key U.S. Senate Committee with regulatory oversight of medicine manufacturers will take up Thursday a bill intended to prevent another fungal meningitis outbreak.

The hearing is slated for 10 a.m. EST Thursday in Room SD-430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions plans to livesteam the hearing on its website.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, the ranking Republican on the committee, said the bill “offers the best way to help ensure that last year’s meningitis outbreak never happens again - by making clear who is responsible for overseeing our nation’s compounding pharmacies and manufacturers.”

The outbreak has sickened 741 people across the nation with 55 deaths, according to information released Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tennessee has had 152 illnesses with 15 deaths.

The legislation draws distinctions between traditional compounding pharmacies and compounding manufacturers, giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clear authority to supervise the manufacturers.

The legislation emerged from the Senate committee, which is chaired by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, with bipartisan support.